Panthera Dental’s (Quebec, Canada) acquisition is a much-needed adjunct to current pediatric OSA treatment modalities, combining elements of myofunctional therapy (MFT) with physiological mandibular
advancement, providing an easy-to-use OSA treatment with high patient acceptance. Panthera Dental will collaborate with Dr. Hervy, a sleep and orthodontic pediatric specialist and the inventor of the appliance, who will lend her expertise to its enhancement and international roll out.
Quebec, February 28, 2022. Panthera Dental’s commitment to innovation in OSA therapy has led to an expansion of its product range to include a pediatric oral appliance. This new option enables practitioners to close a treatment gap. Pediatric OSA is known to be present in up to 5% of children. If not recognized and treated OSA can have lifelong consequences for health, academic performance and overall well-being. Previously
named SomNyx, the appliance will be rebranded as D-SAD|Myo within Panthera Dental’s digital sleep appliance range.
It is a clinically tested treatment, combining aspects of MFT with an oral mandibular advancement appliance. MFT alone has shown some promise in the treatment of OSA, however it typically requires parental involvement which is difficult to sustain over time.
The D-SAD|Myo reduces that need. Rather than the required parental intervention, the D-SAD|Myo provides the means for the child to independently perform the tongue exercises with the device in place, improving adherence to therapy.
The appliance incorporates two unique elements, the patient-tailored mandibular appliance and a rolling-ball mechanism. The ball promotes forward tongue movement which stimulates the genioglossus muscle responsible for tongue protrusion and tone, while preventing its posterior displacement and upper airway closure. Clinical trial data from several international studies have demonstrated significantly improved breathing during sleep in children with OSA. There was a concomitant increase in nasopharyngeal airway space with improved nasal breathing, and an increase in the mandibular counter clockwise growth. While the impact on growth is only possible in children, adults may benefit from this appliance’s myofunctional training as well.
Panthera Dental is excited to apply its expertise in CAD/CAM and high-performance medical-grade nylon to the design and manufacture of this appliance. Panthera Dental’s precise and versatile 3D manufacturing backed by proprietary design software will produce a lightweight, strong and streamlined oral appliance, that will easily fit the child’s specific dental requirements.
This new initiative by Panthera Dental provides an opportunity to improve OSA care for pediatric patients in a validated and patient-focused manner. For dental providers, achieving improved outcomes in this patient group is extremely exciting, in particular when the adverse long-term outcomes of OSA are considered. Dr. Hervy’s clinical expertise, along with Panthera’s medical device commercialization knowhow, create a strong synergy and partnership to support the roll out of this innovative and muchneeded therapeutic tool. At the upcoming World Sleep Congress in Rome, in a symposium dedicated to orthodontic treatments of sleep disorders for children, Dr. Hervy will present the latest results from clinical studies evaluating this novel appliance therapy.
Dr. Hervy explains, “This therapy is designed to change the shape of a child’s oral cavity, avoiding the need for OSA treatment later in life. It stimulates tongue activity during light stages of sleep, improving tongue function and tongue position at rest, which has been shown to promote maxillary arch expansion and improve nasal breathing.”
Mr Laurent Viviani, co-founder of the company that developed the appliance, continues, “The level of compliance for MFT has often been low in children. By developing a nighttime treatment, we aim to improve outcomes for children, so they do not suffer serious health consequences later in life.” He continues, “We are delighted to partner with Panthera Dental, to further develop our appliance, and to produce it with their trademark digital precision and robust medical-grade materials.”
Gabriel Robichaud, President of Panthera Dental adds, “Children with OSA are under diagnosed and under treated. It gives us enormous pleasure to add a pediatric therapy to our current range of oral appliance therapies designed for adults.”
This treatment is supported by clinical studies conducted under the direction of French physician and prolific sleep medicine researcher Professor Christian Guilleminault, former director of the sleep centre of the University of Stanford and author of over 700 publications including the key clinical study evaluating this new therapy.1
The D-SAD|Myo is planned for launch in the E.U. and U.S. in 2023, pending regulatory authorizations.
More information about Panthera Dental’s sleep division is available at www.pantherasleep.com
Panthera Dental website: www.pantheradental.com
About Panthera Dental
Panthera Dental designs, manufactures and markets dental prosthetic, implantology and sleep breathing disorder solutions using an innovative CAD/CAM process and superior quality materials. Both a pioneer and a leader in the field of custom-made dental solutions, our proprietary technology allows us to offer next-generation products to the widest range of patients possible. Panthera Dental is headquartered in Quebec City, Canada, with subsidiaries in the USA, France and Germany, and associates worldwide.
1 Neutral supporting mandibular advancement device with tongue bead for passive myofunctional therapy along term follow-up study. Huang YS, Chuang LC, Hervy-Auboiron M, Paiva T, Lin CH Guilleminault C. Sleep Med 2019 Aug